Motor chair



H. E. GLADISH.

MOTOR CHAIR.

APPLICATJON FILED FEB. 27. 1922.

Patented sept. 12,1922.

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H. E. GLADISH.

MOTOR CHAIR.

, 4 -APPLICATION man FEB. 21. l|932. l 1,429,213. rammed sept. 12, 1922,v

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H. E. GLAmsH.

MOTOR CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2T. 1922.

l 42 9,2 1 3 i Patented Sept. 12, 1922.

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Patented Sept. 12, 1922.

I Toalla/7mm` may conc'cm': l' d Be Ait known that I, HARRY E. GLAD1sn, 'a

citi'zenof the United satatesesiding at Hig- Uinsville, in thecounty "of Lafayette" and l tate of Missouri have invented new anduseful Improvements in Motor Chairs, off

which the following is a specification. y The. object of myfsald invention 'is' the provision'of, a simple, comfortable easilyl controlled and easily steeredfmotor .chair designed more especially 4folrthe'use yf inn valids and convalescents. l

To the attaif ent oftheforegoing,"'the invention consists fin, the improvement as hereinafter described and definitely claimed. In the accompanying drawings, n forming part of thisfspecilication i l Figure .1 isa side Yelevationof themotorv chair constituting. the best practical embodiment'of my invention thatIv hlavefaslyet de? Figure 2 isy a rear elevation yof the lsame, Figure 3isfa front elevation of the chair. Figure 4 is a horizontal sectionl through the chairon the line ofjFigure"1. l y, 'Figure 5 isy a ydetail Ihorizontal section on the line .5 5 ofFigure .Y x Y Figurey 6 is a detailf"fraginentaryl` plan, partly in section, showing Athe"vdriviiig' con nection. f

v.Figure 7 is anenlargedyiew illustrative ofthe one,-handcontrol@- f Figure' 8 isasectionon line8`,-.8 of Figure 4, showing the brake drumf-anbdlband. Similarl l numerals y efreferen'ce designate corresponding Vparts in all ofY thewiew's of the drawings. v1, ff The chair body may be vofa'ny app'ropriate' construction though 4.Ipirefer tofhave' it comprise a seat 1, a back 2, side arms'3, adjust; ment straps 4, anda foot ,rest 5., gThe-.rear portionof the seat` 1v is superimposed 4upon and connectedtoy a loolster,l Figure 2,`and the "said bolster, in turn, is superimposed upon and connected to` longitudinal elliptical springs?, arranged. in' parallel.` .Avrear axle yhousing 8 supports the springs Tand contains yaxlel sections Qfandfan equalizing, gearing 10, Figure thesaid axle `"sectirms 9 being equipped in conventi-2Enl ymanner with drive wheels; 1v1. n ,Il

Appropriately connected to Iand extending forwardly from the ',hou'sing8l isthey frame 12 of the chairwhich frame'lfis provided at its forward end with a cross loar13t h lv which The said crossbar 13 is'vr disposed ahorizorrtal4 plane considerably belowthat of the major horizontal, portion of the;lffrafme'v 12 HARRY GRADISH, o-F HIGGINSVLLR, MISSOURI.

i are pivotallygconne'ctedknuckles v124, Figures i ,3 and`4',bea r1ng forward, steering wheels 15,

and'isjoined to they said major portion by forward corner uprights 16` which serve through' the medium ofcushioning springs l17:tosupport'rods 18 pendent fromvthe fr;

vward corners of the seat 1, the rods 18 beingk guided in lateral projections 19-on theupy rights 16, aiidfthefsprin'gs 17jbeinginterposed between the lower 'proje'ctions7'19` and nut's20 or other enlargements on the rods 18, Figure 3.

It will be' apparent .from the foregoing that the chair body is adequately cushioned at theback and front with va viewto preventingthe transmission of shocks andjars toy the 4occupant and operator of' the chairf y d Carried on Cross-bars 21 comprisedjin the horizontal portion `ofthe frame 12 is an elec- ,tricv motor 22, the armalnirel shaft 23of which is 'connected'througha universal joint 24 with' the `shaft 25 invconnection with, the equalizing gearing; 10. i

Mounted onta platform 26 on theforward portion of the frame d12 is aboX'or casing 27 inwhichpis a storage battery 28. At29 is a hollow post fixed4 tothe frame 12 and'clipped :at 29X or otherwise held to thel seat 1 of the body in such manner as to `permit the body to ymove .up and down relative tothe post, and at 30 isjfa tube car.n

`ried isaidpost V29." Extendingthrough the post fis a steeringshaft 3'1 on thelower exposeden'd of whichis acrank 32, connec'ted through a rod 33 4with the cross-bar 34 interposed 'between and connecting the rearw ardlyedirected` arms of the `knuckles 14. Arranged at andadapted` to Abe turned onthelupper endy ofthe fp ost 29 is ka handle 35'j that is nedlt'oand vis adapted to` turn the'shaft 31 l`aboutits' axis for the steering For the bralingyof the chair l provide `the hand'lever 36 fulcrumed'at 37 on thepost 29, and I alsoprovidedrums 38 fixed tothe wheel s i 11bands 3,9 about said drums and connected at 40 to theghousing 8, a transverse rack shaft 41, journaledv inbearings 42 yon thehousing 8 and havingarms connected 'to the .bands 39and`Lalso having a crank 44,- and aBodenvvirefor othersuitable 'flexible vconnection 45 between the crank =44 Lso and the hand lever 36. Manifestly when the hand lever 36 is moved toward the handle the brake bands 39 will be applied to retard the chair while when the said lever 36 is released the resiliency of, the bands 39 will release the same from their complementary drums 38. Only slight swinging movement of the handle 35 is necessary for the proper steering of the chair, and, therefore, the chair occupant is always able with the band used for steering to take hold of and raise the lever 36 and thereby efficiently brake the chair.

The handle 35 is chambered as designated by 50 in Figure 7, and in the said chamber 50 are terminals 5l and 52, arranged in a normally open electric circuit with the.

motor 22 and the storage battery 28. Fulcrumed on the terminal 51 is a lever-likev conductive switch blade 53, movable into and out of contact with the terminal 52 and pivotally connected to the ends of the said blade 53 and extending loosely through guide apertures in the upper wall 54' of the chamber 50 are finger pieces 55 and 56, preferably dielectric in character. t will be readily apparent that when the occupant and operator of the car desires to stop the propulsion of the same it is simply necessary for him or her to depress the finger piece 55 when the electric circuit andthe functioning` of the motor22 will be interrupted. To start the chair it is merely necessary for the occupant and operatorto depress the finger piece 56 so as to make contact between the-blade 53 andv ythe terminal 50 when the complete circuit will be reestablished and the wheels l1 will be driven by the motor 22, s c

It will be observed that l. have shown the control of the chair in position for operation by the right hand of the chair occupant. Obviously, however, it isfwithin the purview of my` invention to ylocate `the control for left hand operation, and in this connection I would have it understood that I, prefer to so connect the post 29 that it can be readily transferred or shifted from the right hand side of the chair body to the left-hand side thereof, and I also prefer to provide the rod 34 with an auxiliary connection 34X, Figure 5, for the rod 33, and to provide the rock-shaft 41 with an auxiliary crank for the connection of the wire 42,5.

lf have entered into a detailed description of the construction and relative arrangement of the parts embraced 1n the present and preferred embodiment of my invention 1n order to impart a full, clear and exact understanding of the said embodiment. do not desire, however, to be understood as confining myself to the said specific construction and relative arrangement of parts inasmuch as iny the future practice ofthe invention various changes and modfications may be made such as fall within the scope of my invention as defined in my appended claims,

Having described my invention, what l claim and' desire to secure by Letters-Patent, 1s

l. A motor chair comprising an axle housing, a frame connected to and extendn ing said housing and having uprights at its forward corners, a cross-bar carried at the lower ends of said uprights, knuckles pivotally connected to said cross-bar and bearing steering wheels, aXle sections in the housing and bearing drive wheels, an electric nio-torand a storage battery carried on said frame, a connection between the armature shaft of themotor and kthe axle sections and including equalizing gearing in the housing, a body spring-supported on the corner uprights of the frame and the housing, and a one-hand control carried by the frame and including means to swing the steering wheels and means to establish and interrupt van electric circuit including the storage battery and the motor.

2. A motor chair comprising an axle housing, a frame connected to and extendingsaid housingV and having uprights at its forward corners, a cross-bar carried at the lower ends of saidv uprights, knuckles pivotally connected to said cross-bar and bearing steering wheels, axle sections in the housing and bearing drive wheels, an electric motor and a storage battery carried on said frame, a connection between the arma ture shaft of the motor and the axle sections and including equalizing gearing in the housing, a body spring-supported o-n the corner uprights of the frame and the housing, meanstobrake the chair, and a onehand control carried by the frame and including means to swing the vsteering wheels, means to apply the brake means, and means to establish and interrupt an electric circuit including the storage battery and thev motor.

3. A motor chair comprising an axle housing, aframe connected to and extending said housing and having uprights at its forward corners, a cross-bar carried at the lower ends of said uprights, knuckles pivotally connected to said cross-bar and bearing steering wheels, axle sections in the hous ing and bearing drive wheels, an electric motor and a storage battery carried on said frame, a connection between the armature shaft of the motor and the axle sections and including equalizing gearing in the` housing, a body spring-supported on the corner uprights of the frame andthe housing, mea-ns to brake the chair, anda one-hand control carried by the frame and including means to swing the steering wheels, means to apply the-brake means, and means to establish and interrupt an electric circuit including the storage battery and the motor; the forward corner uprights of the frame each having lateral apertured projections, and the body having forward pendent rods guided in said projections and provided between thesame with enlargements, and the forward spring support being formedy by springs on said rods and between the lower projections and the rod enlargements.

4. A motor chair comprising an axle housing, a frame connected to and extending said housing and having uprights at its forward corners, a cross-bar carried at the lower ends of said uprights, knuckles pivotally connected to said cross-bar and bearing steering wheels, axle sections in the housing and bearing drive wheels, an electric motor and a storage battery carried on said `frame, a connection between the armature shaft of the motor and the axle sections and including equalizing gearing in the housing, a body spring-supported on the corner uprights of the .frame and the housing, means to brake the chair, and a one-hand control carried by the frame and including means to swing'the steering wheels, means to apply the brake means, and means to establish and interrupt an electric circuit in-l cluding the storage battery and the motor; the said means to swing the steering means on said post, and the means to establishand interrupt the electriccircuit being in the form of terminals in a chamber of the handle, a conductive blade fulcrumed on one terminal and movable into and out of' contact with the other terminal, and linger pieces connected to said blade and movable in a wall of thev chamber.

5. ln a one-hand control, thecombination of a hollow post, a tube carried by and along-y side said post, a rock shaft in the post and havinga `chambered handle, a hand lever fulcrumed` on the postin close proximity to the handle, a flexible connection on said lever 'and extending'through said tube, terminals in the. chamberv of the handle, a conductive lblade in said chamber and fulcrumed on one terminal and movable into and out of con tact with the other terminal, and finger pieces on said blade and guided in apertures in a chamber wall. f

In testimony whereof, Iaiiixv rny signature. j

j HAnRYnGLADisH. y 

